The Western Australian Government has released the state’s Kimberly Science and Conservation Strategy, with funding of $63 million over five years.

 

Four new Kimberley marine parks are proposed: at Camden Sound; North Kimberley; Roebuck Bay; and Eighty Mile Beach.  These parks will protect 48 per cent of Kimberley coastal waters, and almost treble the area of marine parks and reserves in WA, from approximately 1.5 million hectares to 4.1 million hectares. 

 

The Strategy's initiatives include:

 

  • $14million Kimberley marine science program, to increase knowledge of the region’s unique marine habitats and wildlife;

  • Investment of a further $7.7million in landscape scale fire, feral animal and weed control partnerships. This will support voluntary partnerships underpinning the conservation reserve corridor linking the Prince Regent and Drysdale River national parks, the establishment of island conservation reserves to protect the most significant island refuges along the Kimberley coast, and other new conservation partnerships;

  • $1.2million investment in partnerships with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy to deliver conservation projects in collaboration with traditional owners, including indigenous jobs and training;

  • A major boost to nature and culture-based tourism with new funding of $7million for upgrades to visitor facilities at popular sites; the promotion of tourism corridors including four-wheel drive trails; promotion of the aerial highway to link major attractions by air; and assistance for Aboriginal communities to develop opportunities in tourism;

  • $1.8million to return barramundi to Lake Kununurra through a restocking program and to establish a marine education program for recreational fishers and charter operators;

  • $200,000 online science portal to make information on the region more accessible;

  • $3million geochemical and geophysical survey program to improve knowledge of the region’s geology and inform and complement land use planning, science and conservation.

 

The full Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy is available here